Garmin eTrex Summit - GPS/Altimeter
Reviewed by: Bill Ames
Where to buy: a number of spots online, high end outfitters
Cost: $99-$250 

I've always wanted some way to record statistics of my hikes, especially up-hill pace, so I could more accurately predict my speed on unfamiliar ground.

The eTrex summit is a small GPS, electronic compass and altimeter in a package smaller than your cell phone.

Don't need an altimeter? Get the original eTrex for under $100, or spend a little more for more advanced units with color displays, base maps, etc.

The GPS features are what you would expect, but it is the combination with the compass and barometric altimeter that really make this unit shine.

You can get just about any statistic you can think of--at least that can be derived from these three gizmos--including speed, ascent/descent rate, bearing, highest point, lowest point. max/min ascent, max/min descent, total land distance, plot over time, plot over distance . . . you name it. There is even a long term memory that can store individual journeys.

I was particularly impressed with the unit's ability to map altitude profiles as well as make maps of your trek. A number of different modes allow you to "track back" along a path, sight in an accurate bearing, travel to a spot, and more. You can set waypoints (with neat icons!) to help guide you back to where you were. You can go as the crow flies, or track back onto your exact pathway. A little arrow guides you.

One nice feature of the bearing is that it will not only tell you if you are on the right bearing, but how far left or right of your target you are.

While the altitude and compass *can* be tied in with the GPS, they don't have to be, so even if you lose track of the satellites, you can still get your altitude readings. If you know the pressure or the altitude, you can calculate the others. If you don't know either, and you can get 4 satellites, you can take it from the GPS. According to my maps, the GPS altitude was right on the money.

Something that has happened recently, for good or bad, has made GPS units much more accurate. Bill Clinton has descrambled the GPS data, so even a handheld unit like the eTrex is accurate to about 15 meters. Until now, deliberate errors were factored into the telemetry so that civilian units were only accurate to about 100 meters--too far, really, for a hiker.

I've only touched on the features of this unit, but suffice to say that if you can imagine it, it's in there. The thing can even connect to your PC to import and export data, or to set waypoints (via the $160 software you have to buy).

Once you get the knack of using one hand to press the waterproof buttons, the thing is very easy to use and read.

One disappointment I had was that I wanted to be able to plot my hikes onto a topo map . . . this is MUCH harder than it sounds. Since degrees don't translate directly into distance, you need to make some rather cumbersome calculations to get a fix on where you are.

I can't remember whether it's latitude or longitude, but one of them is a fixed distance, and the other depends on where you are on the globe . . . I'm told that the $160 software takes care of this problem, but that will have to wait a while . . .

If you don't care too much about altitude, the eTrex is a bright yellow little brother to the Summit, which is a more serious silver. At about half the price, it's much more affordable.

All in all, I give this gadget an excellent rating, but caution amateurs, as with all technology, to not depend on it. I use it mostly for stats, map making, and to record my journey--I still navigate the old fashioned way . . . but it's so cool to have!